Womanhood
by LovelyLadiiZ
Summary: 15-year-old Seraphina Annabelle Caine has always been a daddy's girl. However, when it comes to the first milestone of her womanhood, Sera realizes that Horatio may not be able to help her. But with her mother out of town at a psychology seminar, who else can she turn to? Companion piece to the Not Your Average Angel series, but reading the series isn't really necessary.


Author's Note: I realize I've promised a lot of companion pieces and I've yet to post any on this site. (There is one, The Lioness, but since it's rated MA, I didn't want to chance getting my account suspended if I got reported. There's a link to it on my profile if you want to read it.)

Anywho, here is one of several ideas I have for companion pieces to the series that I can post on this site. For those of you who haven't read the series, that's fine too. There aren't many things you need to know to read this story. Seraphina is Horatio's daughter and Gabriel is his son. Also, Gabe and Sera are fraternal twins so they are the same age at this point (15 years old). Horatio's wife, Angel, is a psychologist at the time of this story.

That's all. I hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: Miami or its characters. I only own the OCs. :)

* * *

Womanhood

* * *

Horatio Caine stood in his kitchen, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner that evening. With Angel away at a psychology seminar, he was left to care for his twin children.

Well…_somewhat_ care for them anyway. The two had started high school recently, and ever since then, they seemed to have their own agendas. Seraphina usually went to the library to study, and Gabriel was often away at his friends' houses. Or so he said. Horatio had a strange suspicion that his son had a girlfriend, yet Angel didn't want to believe her _sweet little boy_ was seeing anyone. In reality, Horatio knew that if his son wasn't seeing someone yet, he would be soon. H could also tell by the lustful look in Gabriel's eyes whenever they passed a somewhat attractive woman that it was time to give him the talk about the birds and the bees, a subject that was avoided for far too long thanks to Angel choosing to view her children as 'just babies.' The redhead found it quite ironic that his wife was normally comfortable when it came to talking about sex, yet when it came to letting their teenage children know about the subject she refused to be a part of it.

Horatio recalled that he eventually pulled his son aside and mentioned they needed to have _the talk_. Gabriel responded by asking his father what he wanted to know. Now flustered, Horatio realized he'd waited too long to have this talk. At this point all he could do was remind his son to practice safe sex, to which Gabriel promptly replied, "Duh, Dad. I ain't stupid. I don't want baby-mama drama, and I _definitely _ain't catchin' no STDs."

Horatio loved his son more than anything, but he also had to admit that sometimes Gabriel's snappy comebacks worked his last nerves.

The redhead shook those thoughts away and tried to focus on making dinner. The kids usually caught the four o'clock bus across town and made it home just a little before five. Horatio figured he'd cook spaghetti and meatballs, since it was something he knew both children liked. It also seemed simple enough to finish by the time they got home.

A few minutes later, Seraphina came home from school alone. She mentioned she saw her brother walking to the library with his friends, and that he would be home later. Horatio couldn't help but wonder if Gabe had been one-hundred-percent honest with Sera, or if his daughter was helping his son lie. Horatio wasn't sure, but he knew well enough that his son wasn't at the library. The father decided against interrogating his daughter to find out the real story and let the subject be. Instead, he smiled at his daughter and said,

"Do you want to help me with dinner, princess?"

"No thanks, Daddy," Sera promptly replied while toying with her long messy ponytail. She kept her eye contact at the tiled floor. "I have a LOT of chemistry homework and a Spanish exam to study for."

Horatio tried to hide his disappointment. Ever since the twins started high school, they rarely had time to spend with their parents anymore. Seraphina was enrolled in the honors program, which amounted to a lot of homework and studying. Heaven only knew where Gabriel was half of the time, and when he finally was at home, the last thing he appeared to want to do was spend time with his family.

"Oh…well, I'll let you know when dinner's ready," was all Horatio could think of saying before his daughter disappeared down the hallway.

Once he was alone, Horatio lost himself in his thoughts. _Is this what it's going to be like being the parent of two teenagers? _The father wondered silently. Things just weren't the same anymore.

Gabriel, who once was a little boy who loved to talk to his mommy and daddy 24/7, was now a teenager who was most likely sexually active. Not to mention his voice had gained some bass and he had a growing mustache.

Seraphina was always an introvert, just like Horatio himself. Yet when she was a little girl, she enjoyed doing things with her father every once in a while. Now, it seemed like Seraphina shut herself off from her father completely. She often kept conversation to a bare minimum, even when talking about being in the science club. Horatio thought she _loved_ the science club. Yet after more recent conversations, he sensed she wanted to quit the club.

At that point, Horatio realized how little he knew his own children. And as much as he hated to admit it, his twin children were growing up, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

The very thought of his children drifting away from him was enough to cause a lump to rise in Horatio's throat. As tears welled in his eyes, he told himself to pull it together and that it couldn't be all that bad. It couldn't stay like this forever, he figured. Things would get better soon.

Horatio finished making dinner and headed back to his daughter's room to notify her that it was time to eat. He noticed her door was slightly ajar and, without thinking twice, he walked right in. He was surprised to find his daughter not working on the supposed colossal amount of homework she had, but sitting in front of her vanity mirror. She undid her ponytail, letting her strawberry-blonde hair fall over her shoulders. She made a rather peculiar face in the mirror, and it wasn't until she winked at her reflection that Horatio realized she was trying to look attractive. Sera then looked down at her chest, still not noticing her father in the room, and pulled down the hem of her T-shirt to show her ample cleavage. She frowned as she hiked her training bra up a few inches underneath her shirt.

"He's right," Sera murmured to herself sadly, "I _do _look like a boy."

"Sera," Horatio called moments later, trying to act as if he'd just stepped in the room.

"Daddy!" the teen shouted in alarm. She quickly shot up from her seat, drawing the neckline of her shirt back to its proper place in the process. "How long were you standing there?!"

Although Horatio was unable to speak, his silence was answer enough. Seraphina squinted her eyes shut and a hint of red crept into her honey-brown cheeks—whether it was from embarrassment or anger, Horatio wasn't quite sure.

"Daddy, I can't believe you were spying on me!" Sera shouted.

"Princess, I wasn't trying to spy on you," Horatio defended himself. "I came to tell you dinner was ready and the door was open."

"Then why didn't you knock?!" the female screamed as tears slid down her cheeks. Horatio knew he wasn't the true cause of those tears, and the fact that he knew a boy was teasing Sera because apparently she didn't possess many curves gave Horatio mixed feelings. On one hand, he wouldn't have to worry about Sera being in the same situation Gabriel was, which made him _very_ happy. On the other hand, however, he didn't like seeing his daughter upset like this.

"Princess…do you want to talk about…anything that may be bothering you?" Horatio asked gently.

"No! I just want you to leave me alone!"

The door promptly slammed in the father's face. The redhead stared idly at the closed door, silently thinking, _what do I do now?_

Horatio sighed and retreated to the kitchen to eat his dinner, yet he found that he didn't have much of an appetite. His little princess was upset, and he realized he couldn't do much more than make the situation worse.

_So much for things getting better soon_, Horatio thought to himself.

As the father was forking over his spaghetti, he saw his daughter appear before him. Horatio looked up and saw that she was still crying. Only this time, she seemed afraid instead of angry.

"What is it, princess?" Horatio asked.

"I'm bleeding," Seraphina whimpered.

Panic overwhelmed Horatio immediately, yet he tried to keep his voice calm. "How? What happened?"

"No, Daddy, I mean I'm bleeding…_down_ _there_."

After a few moments, the concept finally clicked in Horatio's mind.

"Oh…" he finally said. He unconsciously frowned as he realized how awkward this situation was. "Uh…do you want to check your mother's drawers in the bathroom to see if she has any…feminine products…you can use?"

"I already did, but she only uses…tampons." Sera frowned too and blushed a little. "…I don't know how to use tampons."

"How about we call your mother…" Horatio suggested, trying to save them both from this uncomfortable conversation. He brought out his cell phone and called Angel, hoping…_praying_ that she would answer. To his dismay, she let it go to voicemail.

"She must be in a seminar right now," H muttered as he ended the call.

Seraphina looked down at her bare feet and sniffled while drawing an unruly strand of her curly strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. "So what am I going to do?"

Suddenly, Horatio sparked an idea. He picked his phone back up and replied, "I think I know what to do."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Sera emerged from her room when she heard someone in the other room. As she slunk down the corridor, she heard a familiar feminine southern twang. Seraphina was absolutely relieved when she finally realized what her father's plan was—he'd called her godmother, Calleigh.

The Caine daughter ran up to her godmother and hugged her immediately.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you," Sera murmured, her voice muffled from burying her face into Calleigh's shoulder.

"Horatio mentioned you needed some feminine advice," Calleigh said, completing the hug.

Horatio only smiled and took that as his cue to leave the two females to talk privately.

Calleigh stepped back and gazed up at the teen, who towered over her own petite build. "My goodness, when did you get so tall?!"

"About a year ago, Godmommy," Sera said, a dry smile tugging at her full lips. "I hit a growth spurt, but I didn't grow any cleavage. Not to mention I'm most likely the only girl in school to get her first period this late. Maybe that's why the guy I like says I look like a boy."

"You do _not_ look like a boy, Sera," Calleigh countered. "Some of us just bloom later than others. And late-bloomer or not, you're still absolutely beautiful."

Seraphina's smile turned genuine after kind Calleigh's words.

"So, I bought you these," Calleigh paused to hold up a package of pads. "There should be just enough to get you through the rest of the week. By that time your mother should be back in town, so I think this is enough. But you know my cell number just in case you need more."

Sera's smile remained. "Thank you, Godmommy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"No problem, Sera. Y'know I was a daddy's girl too. And I know how awkward it is to try and have that conversation with your father. But sometimes, no matter how close you are to your father, you just need that female figure around too. So don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

"Oh believe me, I won't. I'll probably call you tonight," Sera answered. She pulled her godmother in for another hug and said, "Thanks for everything. I love you, Godmommy."

"I love you too, Sera. I'll talk to you later tonight…tell Horatio I said bye."

Once Calleigh left, Horatio reappeared in the living room.

"So…is everything sorted out?" the father asked.

"Yeah," Sera replied, looking down to the package in her hands. "Godmommy took care of everything for me."

Silence fell over the two Caines for a long moment, until Horatio cleared his throat and said, "Are you hungry, princess? Dinner's cold by now, but we can put it in the microwave for a little bit to warm it back up."

"Yeah, I'll be right there…I need to change first."

"Right…okay," Horatio said with an uneasy chuckle.

Seraphina went to change and returned to the kitchen just in time for the microwave beep. Sera stood beside her father and smiled before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Daddy…I love you," she said.

Horatio grinned. "I love you too, princess."

And to himself, Horatio silently thought, _Maybe_ _their growing up isn't so bad after all…_


End file.
